TCEQ Unveils Take Care of Texas License Platehttp://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/3-15LicensePlates3-3
Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - Purchase at takecareoftexas.org/license-plateThe Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Take Care of Texas program today unveiled a specialty license plate, encouraging drivers to proudly show their commitment to the state’s environment.

“With more than 9 million automobiles on the road in Texas, and about 80,000 miles of highway, a specialty license plate gets noticed,” said TCEQ Commissioner Zak Covar. “It’s a great way to get the word out on our program.”

The Take Care of Texas program encourages all Texans to help keep our air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste. Until now, the program has used more traditional outreach mechanisms such as website, social media, and radio and TV public service announcements. The TCEQ worked with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to design a new license plate with the TCEQ’s environmental slogan: Take Care of Texas. It’s the Only One We’ve Got.

The cost of the new Take Care of Texas license plate is $30, with $22 going directly to the Take Care of Texas program to further promote environmental education and outreach.

]]>No publisherLisa Wheeler2015-03-03T13:55:00ZNews ItemTexas Reports Electronics Recycling Results http://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/2-15ComputerRecycling2-27
Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 - Computer manufacturers collect more than
25 million pounds of electronics
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality today announced that Texans turned in more than 25 million pounds of electronics to computer manufacturers for recycling. In addition to recycling covered computer equipment, many computer manufacturers also voluntarily collect other electronics for recycling. The TCEQ allowed computer manufacturers to report other electronics collected, not just the computer equipment covered under the program. Computer manufacturers reported collecting more than 25 million pounds of electronics from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2014.

Currently, 98 manufacturers representing 148 brands are participating in the computer recycling program. As part of the program, computer manufacturers collected more than 18 million pounds of covered computer equipment in 2014. Of that collected weight, more than 17 million pounds were recycled and 266 thousand pounds were reused.

Texans have many opportunities to recycle their computer equipment and other electronics outside of the computer recycling program. Collection events coordinated by municipalities, local nonprofit groups, private recyclers, and community-oriented businesses are additional ways Texans can recycle their computers. Since some of the recyclers don’t report to the TCEQ, the agency’s reported number doesn’t fully represent recycling activity in Texas.

The TCEQ encourages consumers to take advantage of electronics recycling opportunities in 2015. Texas consumers can learn how to recycle their computer equipment by visiting TexasRecyclesComputers.org, and their television equipment by visiting TexasRecyclesTVs.org.

For more information on the programs, contact the TCEQ’s Pollution Prevention and Education Section, 512-239-3143.

Agreed orders were issued for the following enforcement categories: three air quality, one industrial waste discharge, three multimedia, nine municipal waste discharge, three petroleum storage tank, five public water system, and two water quality.

Default orders were issued in the following categories: one multimedia, one municipal solid waste, and three public water system.

Included in the total is a fine of $287,000 against Flint Hills Resources Polymers, LLC of Harrison County for air quality violations, investigated on Aug. 1, 2012. Of that amount, $143,500 will be used by the Texas Association of Resource Conservation & Development Areas, Inc. for its Clean Buses Project.

The TCEQ’s next agenda meeting is scheduled for March 4, 2015. Agenda meetings are webcast live through TexasAdmin.com, where archived meetings are also available.

]]>No publisherLisa Wheeler2015-02-04T17:40:00ZNews Item Take Care of Texas K-5 Art Contest http://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/take-care-of-texas-k-5-art-contest
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015 - Grand prize is a Samsung laptop, and 15 students and one teacher will each win a Samsung tablet.
Contest entries must be received by March 6.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Samsung Austin Semiconductor invite K-5th grade students in Texas to submit artwork showing how they help keep the air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste.

Fifteen students and one teacher will each win a Samsung tablet, and one grand prize winner will receive a Samsung laptop. The winning art pieces will be showcased on the Take Care of Texas and TCEQ websites, newsletters, and social media.

Entries must be two-dimensional, but can be created with any media, including crayons, watercolor, markers, paints, and color pencils. Winners will be announced April 3, 2015.

Agreed orders were issued for the following enforcement categories: nine air quality, one multi-media, three municipal waste discharge, five petroleum storage tank, nine public water system and three water quality.

Default orders were issued for the following categories: one air, two multi-media, five municipal solid waste, four petroleum storage tank, and three public water system.

Included in the total are fines against Maverick Drilling and Exploration USA in Fort Bend County of $166,898 for air violations stemming from investigations in February and August of 2013. Violations include operating without authorization and failure to file emissions inventory reports.

The TCEQ's next agenda meeting is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2014. Agenda items from all commission meetings and work session agendas can be viewed on the TCEQ website. The meeting is also webcast live for free, and archived meetings are available at TexasAdmin. Follow us on Twitter @TCEQNews.

]]>No publisherAndrea Morrow2015-01-21T17:25:00ZNews ItemTCEQ Commissioner Announces Gulf Coast Centers of Excellence Consortiahttp://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/1-15restore
Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 - Funded by penalties from the Deepwater Horizon oil spillTCEQ Commissioner Toby Baker today announced the selection of two consortia to establish Centers of Excellence in Texas as part of the ongoing implementation of the federal RESTORE Act, which requires that the five Gulf States affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill establish them for conducting research on the Gulf Coast region.

Commissioner Baker, Texas member of the RESTORE Council, manages the implementation of the RESTORE Act in Texas.

“I am pleased that the first resources allocated from the RESTORE Trust Fund will enrich our state’s economy through research and development, while also highlighting Texas’ commitment to the health of our coastlines,” said Commissioner Baker.

The first selected consortium will be led by the University of Houston and will include Rice University, the NASA Johnson Space Center, Texas Southern University, Houston Community College, and Lone Star Community College. This consortium will study offshore energy development, including research and technology to improve the sustainable and safe development of energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico.

The second consortium will be led by Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and will include the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, the Center for Translational Environmental Health Research, Texas A&M University–College Station, Texas A& M University–Galveston, the University of Texas at Brownsville, Texas State University, the University of Houston Law Center, the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association, and the University of Texas Medical Branch–Galveston.

This consortium will study on sustainability, restoration, and protection of the coast and deltas; research and monitoring related to coastal fisheries and wildlife ecosystems in the Gulf Coast region; offshore energy development, including research and technology to improve the sustainable and safe development of energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico and its comprehensive observation, monitoring, and mapping of the gulf; and sustainable and resilient growth and economic and commercial development in the region.

Some $4.1 million in financial support will be available in March for the Centers of Excellence from 2.5 percent of the RESTORE Trust Fund, derived from administrative and civil penalties paid by those responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The role of these centers could expand as more financial resources are devoted to the fund.

As required by the U.S. Treasury, the federal agency responsible for oversight of the Centers, the two consortia were selected through a competitive process that is based on state statute and regulations used by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for awarding grants.

]]>No publisherTerry Clawson2015-01-16T22:50:00ZNews ItemTexas Air Quality Continues to Improvehttp://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/12-14airquality
Dec. 18, 2014 - 2014 Ozone Levels Best Ever in Much of StateTexas ozone levels in 2014 were either equal to or lower than the best levels ever measured in most areas of the state.

The EPA calculates the ozone design values using a three-year rolling average. Preliminary 2014 ozone design values, based on 2012, 2013, and 2014 measurement data, are much lower in many areas of the state because 2014 ozone levels were lower than in previous years and 2011 ozone data are no longer used in this calculation. The year 2011 had high ozone readings in many areas of the state, because it was a unique year from a meteorological standpoint--the extreme drought, plus significant wildfires in Texas and elsewhere in the U.S., coupled with plenty of sunshine, few cloudy or rainy days, and unusually quiet winds resulted in conditions favorable for ozone formation.

In fact, Dallas-Fort Worth (81 parts per billion) and Houston (80 ppb) are now both measuring attainment of the 1997 8-hr ozone standard (84 ppb). In addition, both areas are measuring attainment for the older 1-hr ozone standard that was aimed at peak levels of ozone. Dallas is already designated as attainment for this standard and the TCEQ has requested that the EPA change the classification for the Houston area given that the area has measured attainment of this standard in both 2013 and 2014.

In addition, the 2014 ozone levels show that many areas of Texas with monitors are meeting the recently implemented, more stringent 8-hr standard of 75 ppb, with the exception of the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio areas. Even within these three areas, many of the monitors show compliance with the 2008 8-hr standard as well. The nonattainment or near-nonattainment areas of the state have resumed their steady decrease in ozone, in the face of growing population, in almost every area of the state. • Houston area 8-hr ozone levels have improved 29 percent between 2000 and 2014 while the population has increased over 34 percent.• Dallas-Fort Worth area 8-hr ozone levels have likewise improved 21 percent during the last 15 years while experiencing a population growth of over 29 percent. • The Corpus Christi and Tyler- Longview-Marshal areas have seen 20 and 30 percent reductions in ozone over the last 15 years.• The Austin-Round Rock and Beaumont-Port Arthur areas have both seen ozone improvements of 22 percent and 20 percent during this same time period.

Nine of the state’s 13 areas that have at least 15 years of regulatory ozone monitoring recorded the lowest or tied the lowest ozone values in 2014. The two areas that don’t have at least 15 years of monitoring data (Waco and Killeen-Temple-Ft. Hood) also recorded their lowest ozone values in 2014. The two Texas areas with the largest population, DFW and Houston, were the areas that improved the most, with reductions of six and seven ppb, respectively, between 2013-14.

Ground-level ozone is formed when NOx and certain VOCs combine in the presence of sunlight. Given the amount of VOC emitted naturally from vegetation, most control strategies in Texas have focused on NOx emission reductions.

Better air quality has been achieved through targeted emission reduction strategies. In Houston, industry has cut NOx production over 80 percent in the last 10 years. Tougher rules on compressor emissions in North and East Texas have helped, as well as tougher emissions rules on electricity generating plants. Fleet turnover of both passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks also played a substantial role.

Newer cars are much cleaner than old cars, and the same applies to new trucks. Lower emissions from these trucks and cars, as well as from off-road mobile sources, means that emissions decreased while the number of miles driven in Texas increased significantly. New diesel fuel standards also reduce ozone precursor emissions.

The Texas Legislature provides funding for the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, which gives monetary incentives to enable individuals, business and other organizations to buy newer equipment with lower emissions. Another state-funded effort is the Drive a Clean Machine program, which provide incentives for qualifying Texans to buy newer, lower emitting vehicles.

Many citizens participate in cutting ozone on high ozone days by taking public transportation or bicycling to work, by fueling their cars late in the afternoon, and by keeping their cars tuned up and their tires properly inflated. With the majority of NOx emissions in the state coming from mobile sources and the state having limited jurisdiction over the vehicle emission standards, it is important that Texans do their part to reasonably limit mobile source emissions.

Oil and gas production has expanded rapidly near the San Antonio and DFW area, but the TCEQ’s scientific studies have not to date seen significant impacts of oil and gas activities on ozone in those metropolitan areas.

Point source emissions limits in Texas have been tightened during the last decade to address this growing sector of the state’s economy. This includes the addition of several new regulations: a new Barnett Shale Permit by Rule and Standard Permit; the new Maintenance, Startup and Shutdown PBR that applies statewide to the oil and gas sector; a North Texas Gas Compressor rule to control NOx emissions; and the EPA’s New Source Performance Standard (Part 60 Subpart OOOO) for which the TCEQ is the delegated authority.

The TCEQ will continue studying and monitoring these activities to evaluate the impact from these sources and will take necessary action to preserve air quality.

The TCEQ is currently focused on achieving the newer, more stringent 75 ppb EPA ozone standard. Achieving that goal will be challenging, but as shown by recent ozone readings, the state is heading in the right direction. Recently, the EPA has proposed even lower ozone standards, in the 65-70 ppb range and has asked for comment on retaining the current standard or lowering the standard to 60 ppb. There are studies that say to reach 60 ppb, sources in these Texas areas would have to reduce NOx emissions by as much as 75 percent from the emission levels of 2008-2010, depending on the final standard. It’s difficult to see how that will be achieved, since NOx emissions have already been drastically reduced, and background levels of ozone entering an area sometimes approach or exceed 60 ppb.

The TCEQ maintains a detailed air quality successes Web page. This site contains information on criteria pollutants, air toxics, and emission inventories in Texas.

The TCEQ also maintains a Web page devoted to Take Care of Texas, the TCEQ’s personal-responsibility program. This program provides Texans with helpful information on the state’s successes in environmental protection, as well as valuable tips on how they can do their part at home, at work, or at school to protect and preserve our state.

]]>No publisherTerry Clawson2014-12-18T15:45:00ZNews ItemTake Care of Texas this Holiday Seasonhttp://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/12-14TCOTWinterRelease12-15
Monday, Dec. 15, 2014The holiday season is here and with it comes tons of extra waste. Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday period than any other time of year. That extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week. With a little fine-tuning, everything from gift-giving to decorating can benefit the environment, too.

Here are some easy tips to help Take Care of Texas this holiday season and trim your holiday trash:

Recycle Your Tree. Approximately 33 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America every year. Drop your tree off at a local tree recycling center to be transformed into mulch.

Reuse Gift Wrap. If every American family reused two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet—or skip the fancy wrapping paper and bows, and look around the house to see what you can use, like recycled papers, Sunday comics or catalogs, or shop for recycled-content wrapping paper. Give a gift that requires minimal gift-wrapping, such as concert tickets or gift certificates. When giving oversized gifts like bicycles, instead of wrapping it with paper, tie a bow around it.

Recycle Old Electronics. Americans now own approximately 24 electronic products per household. Electronic waste makes up approximately 2 percent of the municipal solid waste stream, and is steadily increasing. So if you receive or give a new electronic product this holiday season, remember to recycle the one you are replacing.

And finally, make a New Year’s resolution to help Take Care of Texas by pledging to keep our air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste at TakeCareOfTexas.org.]]>No publisherLisa Wheeler2014-12-15T16:25:00ZNews ItemTCEQ Approves Fines Totaling $477,898http://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/12-14Agenda12-10
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014 - Includes penalty of $126,560 against MEMC Pasadena, Inc.,
Harris County
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality today approved penalties totaling $401,650 against 30 regulated entities for violations of state environmental regulations.

Agreed orders were issued for the following enforcement categories: six air quality, three multimedia, three municipal solid waste, four petroleum storage tank, and five public water system.

Default orders were issued in the following categories: one irrigation licensing enforcement, four multimedia, and four public water system.

Included in the total is a fine of $126,560 against MEMC Pasadena, Inc. in Harris County for air quality violations, investigated on June 17, 2013. Of that amount, $63,280 will be used by the Houston-Galveston Area Council for its Clean Vehicles Partnership Project.

In addition, on Nov. 19, and Dec. 1, the executive director approved 31 agreed orders, each less than $7,500, totaling $76,248.

The TCEQ’s next agenda meeting is scheduled for Jan. 21, 2015. Agenda meetings are webcast live through TexasAdmin.com, where archived meetings are also available.]]>No publisherLisa Wheeler2014-12-10T17:40:00ZNews ItemTCEQ Opposes New EPA Ozone Standards Proposalhttp://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/11-26opposeozone
Nov. 26, 2014 - Rules Promise Increased Costs, No Significant Health BenefitsThe TCEQ is opposed to the EPA’s proposal to lower the primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone. The primary standard is proposed to be lowered from the current 75 ppb to a range of 65-70 ppb.

“As a scientist, I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the EPA has proposed these new, shortsighted regulations,” said TCEQ Chairman Bryan W. Shaw, Ph.D., P.E. “There is powerful data that casts doubt on whether lowering ozone levels beyond the current standard of 75 ppb will have any significant health benefit. Environmental regulations should be based on good science, common sense, and the certainty that they will achieve the stated health benefits. The EPA proposal fails miserably at meeting any of those metrics.”

“First, I find it offensive for EPA to make this announcement the day before Thanksgiving without giving the TCEQ, one of the largest environmental agencies in the world, a courtesy call to alert us it was coming,” said TCEQ Commissioner Toby Baker. “Second, if the EPA is proposing new standards based on the best available science, as Administrator McCarthy claims, wouldn't they propose a single new standard based on that science that is most protective of public health? Instead the EPA has proposed an arbitrary range of new standards. If the EPA believes one of their proposed standards is more protective of public health, I would prefer that they set politics aside, make their case and propose it, instead of asking the public to comment on a nebulous range of meaningless new standards.”

“Unfortunately this appears to be a unilateral lowering of standards for the sake of lowering standards,” said TCEQ Commissioner Zak Covar. “The science is clear that increases in asthma incidences are inverse to actual ozone concentrations. We are missing an opportunity to work with the EPA to research and actually determine the real causes of asthma.”

The TCEQ’s opposition to these new standards is largely based on the fact that current scientific data does not provide certainty that lowering the ozone standard will provide health benefits. The TCEQ also has serious issues with the potential cost to implement and achieve a more stringent ozone standard. The TCEQ recognizes and supports the requirement of setting the ozone NAAQS at a level adequate to protect human health and welfare, based on the best available scientific information. However, the agency, as well as several state environmental agencies and other experts, have expressed concerns regarding the EPA’s interpretations and applications of the scientific materials used to conclude that a more stringent ozone NAAQS is needed.

The EPA’s own modeling has even shown an increase in mortality caused by lowering the primary ozone design values in the greater Houston area.

Other concerns include the lack of consideration of personal exposure to ozone in the epidemiology studies that are used as the basis for the proposed standard, as well as the critical fact that clinical ozone exposure studies do not show a clinically-adverse effect (by the EPA’s definition) at levels below the current standard of 75 ppb.

A study by NERA Economic Consulting recently estimated a more stringent primary ozone standard at the 60 ppb level could reduce national gross domestic product by up to $270 billion per year and have a total compliance cost of over $2 trillion. Many areas of the country are likely to be above the lower end of the standard and are unlikely to have a means to meet the standard in the short term, given background levels of ozone entering a state or even the U.S. (from natural and man-made sources).

Areas determined not to be attaining a more stringent primary ozone standard will be those most impacted. All areas in Texas with a regulatory ozone monitor, or part of a metropolitan area with a regulatory monitor, currently measure ozone over 65 ppb with the exception of Laredo, the Lower Rio Grande Valley area, and Victoria. Based on current data, the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin-Round Rock, Waco, Killeen-Temple, Beaumont-Port Arthur, El Paso, Corpus Christi, Tyler-Longview, and even Brewster County (Big Bend National Park) all have ozone measurements over 65 ppb. The Laredo and Victoria areas currently have ozone design values between 60 and 65 ppb. The impact on these areas could be significant and not only ultimately require more industrial emission controls and expansion of the automobile emissions testing to these areas, but also could impact future economic growth within these areas and beyond. A final ozone NAAQS of 70 ppb would potentially impact not only the current ozone non-attainment areas of Houston-Galveston-Brazoria and Dallas-Fort Worth, but also Beaumont-Port Arthur, Tyler-Longview, Killeen-Temple, El Paso, and San Antonio, based on current data. A final decision on the ozone NAAQS concentration, and the monitored ground ozone levels between 2013 and 2016, will ultimately determine the exact areas impacted by a revised standard.

The EPA has proposed disapproval of important components of Texas’ 2009 Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP), and will issue a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) for Texas.

The proposed EPA Regional Haze FIP would target 14 Texas coal-fired power plant units, at a cost of more than $2 billion, for a negligible increase in visibility in Class One areas, such as national parks and wildlife areas. These costs would invariably be passed on to consumers, either directly or indirectly, and could have consequential impacts on the state’s power grid.

The TCEQ maintains that its 2009 SIP meets all the EPA’s criteria for approval. The TCEQ will evaluate the EPA’s proposal and will provide additional comments to the EPA during the upcoming formal comment period.

Agreed orders were issued for the following enforcement categories: 14 air quality, one industrial hazardous waste, one industrial waste discharge, three multi-media, one municipal solid waste, six municipal waste discharge, five petroleum storage tank, and six public water system.

Default orders were issued for the following categories: one dry cleaner, one multi-media, three municipal solid waste, one petroleum storage tank, and two public water system.

Included in the total are fines against DCP Midstream L.P. in Moore County of $112,500 for air violations stemming from an emissions event in December 2012. Of the total, $56,250 will be used by the Borger ISD to replace older school buses with new units with cleaner emissions.

Also, included are fines of $136,500 against INEOS USA, LLC. in Brazoria County from an investigation on Feb. 24, 2014, for air emissions violations. Of the total, $68,250 will be used by the Houston-Galveston Area Council to replace aging school buses.

In addition, on October 22, October 27, and November 12, the executive director approved 42 agreed orders, each $7,500 or less, totaling $101,591.

Following an executive session, the commission announced the selection of Tucker Royall as the agency’s new general counsel. Royall comes to the position from having served as executive assistant to Commissioner Toby Baker and is a graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law.

The TCEQ's next agenda meeting is scheduled for Dec. 10, 2014. Agenda items from all commission meetings and work session agendas can be viewed on the TCEQ website. The meeting is also webcast live for free, and archived meetings are available, at TexasAdmin. Follow us on Twitter @TCEQNews.

Take Care of Texas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s statewide environmental education campaign, has announced that H-E-B, the state’s largest grocery store chain, is a Proud Partner in the statewide program.

“Environmental responsibility is important for all Texans. Now businesses and organizations may take a pledge to reinforce their commitment to protecting our natural resources,” says TCEQ Commissioner Zak Covar. “The Take Care of Texas Proud Partners program serves as a platform to recognize companies like H-E-B who make sustainable practices a part of their daily business.”

“H-E-B is proud to be the first statewide proud partner of the Take Care of Texas program,” says Susan Ghertner, H-E-B Director of Environmental Affairs. “With stores in more than 150 communities around Texas, it’s our responsibility to be a leader in environmental protection. We encourage other businesses to follow our lead, and pledge to Take Care of Texas.”

The Take Care of Texas Proud Partners program recognizes corporations, governments, nonprofits, and private entities that demonstrate a commitment to protecting the Texas environment. Participants who take the Proud Partner Pledge receive a Proud Partner decal and insignia identifying these organizations as good stewards of the Texas environment. Each Proud Partner receives a listing on the agency’s dedicated Take Care of Texas website.

]]>No publisherLisa Wheeler2014-11-05T16:55:00ZNews ItemTCEQ Takes Over Greenhouse-Gas Permitting from EPAhttp://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/10-14-ghgtxpermit
Oct. 31, 2014 - Will Foster Continued Economic Prosperity in TexasConsistent with changes enacted into state law in 2013, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will return to being the sole preconstruction air-permitting authority in Texas, including for permits that address greenhouse-gas emissions, upon publication of today’s action in the Federal Register.

This change marks a departure from the previous two-tiered system in which the TCEQ issued federally required Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permits for “traditional” pollutants and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued PSD permits for greenhouse-gas emissions.

To foster continued economic prosperity in Texas, the state has worked diligently to become the greenhouse-gas permitting authority while also vigorously opposing select components of the EPA’s greenhouse-gas permitting program in the court system.

“While the State of Texas continues to disagree with the EPA program to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions, the TCEQ has a system in place to ensure timely permitting that provides stability and predictability to our State’s regulatory framework,” said TCEQ Chairman Bryan W. Shaw, Ph.D.,P.E.

TCEQ personnel already review hundreds of air-permit preconstruction authorizations each year, including a number of PSD permits. This extensive permitting experience and technical expertise make the TCEQ’s permitting staff well-equipped to ensure technically sound and prompt review.

Agreed orders were issued for the following enforcement categories: two agricultural, seven air quality, one Edwards Aquifer, one industrial or hazardous waste, one multimedia, four municipal solid waste, three municipal waste discharge, two petroleum storage tank, six public water system, and one water quality.

Default orders were issued in the following categories: one multimedia, and one petroleum storage tank.

There was one petroleum storage tank enforcement default and shutdown order.

Included in the total is a fine of $400,000 against Shell Chemical LP in Harris County for air quality violations stemming from emission events that began on Jan. 10 and 12, 2013. Of that amount, $200,000 will be used by the Houston Regional Monitoring Corporation, for its air monitoring project.

The TCEQ’s next agenda meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19. Agenda meetings are webcast live through TexasAdmin.com, where archived meetings are also available.